


Connection

by KelvinT15



Category: Wild Kratts
Genre: Blood, Depression, Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-20
Updated: 2016-12-20
Packaged: 2018-09-11 17:45:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9000487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KelvinT15/pseuds/KelvinT15
Summary: One would say that it was unfortunate, especially for Chris. He, and his brother, Martin were planning to return to the Tortuga HQ after their adventure, but when Martin transformed back into his human form, his Creature Power Suit malfunctioned.Chris, who wasn’t aware of the malfunction, turned his back around. As soon as he did, his brother attacked him viciously. It took Chris by surprise, he was unable to defend himself, and ended up badly injured. The members at the Tortuga HQ panicked, because there wasn’t any way to reach their current location quickly.“W-What’s wrong with you?!” Chris shouted to his brother while he tried to fend him off, but there was no response from Martin, as if he was brainwashed. In his current condition, the pressure Martin gave to him made his injuries even worse. As Chris felt that he is unable to resist the attacks anymore, he decided to take an extreme measure to put an end to the chaos.





	1. Deep Wounds

**Author's Note:**

> For more information about this fan-fiction, please visit: http://fav.me/daryhvg
> 
> 15/03/2017 - Version 2.5 released, minor fixes. Thank you for 150+ Hits, and 5+ Kudos!

“Chris, that’s enough!” Aviva shouted from Martin’s Creature Pod. Chris stopped punching; he stood up from his position, and walked to take his Creature Pod near the river. It was thrown away when Martin attacked him, he looked down to his Creature Pod, there were several cracks on the screen.

 

“You went too far, Chris. There’s should be a way to avoid it,” Aviva said.

 

“Shut up, Aviva!” Chris yelled, “This is your fault that his Creature Power Suit malfunctioned!” Aviva froze in shock; she didn’t expect him to put the blame on her out of nowhere. Two figures approached her from behind; it was Jimmy and Koki.

 

Jimmy tried to ease the tension between them, “Stop fighting, please.”

“Take a deep breath, both of you. You can’t think straight like this,” Koki added in response to Jimmy’s attempt.

 

Chris and Aviva took deep breaths, and exhaled. Soon after that, he fell down on his knees; it startled the other Tortuga HQ members. Chris gazed at Martin’s unconscious body, and spoke in a muffled voice, “I’m sorry, Martin and Aviva.”

 

Aviva nodded, and said, “It’s all right, and I’m sorry too.”

 

Both Jimmy and Koki let out sighs of relief as they managed to prevent an unnecessary fight. Aviva asked, “Can you bring Martin back to Tortuga? We need to treat both of your injuries as soon as possible. If you can’t, I’ll immediately go to your location.”

 

Chris hesitated at first, but he later nodded, and said, “Yes, I can. We’re not far from Createrra VX, I should be able to carry Martin, and drive it back to Tortuga.”

“We’re still worried about your condition; don’t hesitate to ask for our help if you need one, okay?” Aviva replied.

 

Chris didn’t respond; he turned off his Creature Pod, and put it into his pocket. He approached Martin, and looked at his brother’s face. Chris wiped the blood off from his brother’s head with his gloves, and carried him up with his arms. He suddenly felt a terrible pain from his injuries, both of them almost fell, but he resisted. Chris kept walking to the Createrra VX with Martin on his arms.

 

When Chris reached the Createrra VX, he put his brother on the back side of the vehicle. “The road ahead might be bumpy,” he muttered, he decided to take off both of his, and Martin’s Creature Power Suits, and put them under his brother’s head. “This should be comfortable enough for him,” Chris returned to the driver’s seat, and drove back to Tortuga HQ.

 

As soon as they had reached the Tortuga HQ, the members went out, they brought Martin inside, leaving Chris alone in the vehicle. He shrugged it off, he was aware that his brother was in a dire situation compared to him. Chris took both of the Creature Power Suits, and went inside the Tortuga HQ.

 

While Jimmy and Koki laid Martin on the couch, Aviva ran out from her room, she brought a pile of medical kits with her. Chris sighed; he put both of the Creature Power Suits on one of the seats in front of the computer, and returned to his room.

 

In Chris’ room, he sat down on a chair, he muttered to himself, “Was it the right thing to do?” He looked at his gloves, it was soaked in his, and Martin’s blood. Chris felt a lot of negative feelings started to stab him one by one.

 

Chris shook his head in denial, he took off his clothes, and went into the bathroom. He thought he would feel better after a shower; he turned on the shower, he set the temperature to warm. Chris started by washing his face, blood started to drip from his body to the bathroom floor.

 

Chris reconsidered the idea when he used soap; he had no choice, but to endure the pain because it helped to sanitize the wounds. When he had finished, he wiped his body with a towel, he noticed there were blood stains on it. Chris tried to wipe it again, but the blood wouldn’t stop dripping from his wounds. Before he went out of the bathroom, he took another towel, and wrapped it around his waist.

 

Chris wandered around his room for a little bit, he was searching for a first-aid kit box. He sat on his bed when he found it, he attempted to put the antiseptic, and the bandages on his wounds, but he struggled. Aviva happened to come across his room; she noticed the door was open, she knocked on the door.

 

“Chris, are you there?” Aviva asked.

 

Chris didn’t respond, when Aviva entered his room, it took her by surprise because of the mess created by him. He only took a short glance to her before he focused back on treating his wounds by himself. “Wait, I’ll be right back!” Aviva darted off from his room, and returned as quickly as possible, she brought the medical kits she used to treat Martin’s injuries earlier. She approached Chris, “Here, let me help you.”

 

“Not necessary, I can do it by myself,” Chris brushed Aviva off.

Annoyed, Aviva put the medical kits on the table, she raised her voice, “Don’t act tough at times like this!”

 

Chris stared at Aviva, he was unhappy with the statement that came out from her mouth. She put her hand on her forehead, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you,” she took a chair, and sat in front of him.

 

Aviva put one of the medical kits on her lap, “You said this incident happened because of me, so I’m here to help you treat your injuries. It’s my responsibility, and look, your injuries are worse compared to Martin.”

 

Aviva poured a liquid on the cotton, “I’ll rub the antiseptic on your wounds now, it’ll hurt, so please resist it,” she asked Chris to close his eyes as she took another towel from the bathroom to wipe the blood from his face.

 

Because there weren’t any serious injuries aside from several scratches, Aviva started from Chris’ face first. When she had finished treating his face, she replaced the cotton. Chris jolted when Aviva rubbed the cotton on the wound on his right shoulder, she apologized, “I’m sorry! I should have treated it lighter.” He shook his head, “No, that’s fine.”

 

Chris didn’t expect it to hurt that much, he still had his left arm to be treated by Aviva. She double-checked to make sure she already treated all of his wounds with antiseptic, and then she put band aids on his nose, and his left cheek. Aviva opened a roll of bandage, she wrapped it around Chris’ right shoulder to his chest, and his left arm. She wrapped it nicely, so he didn’t have trouble when moving.

 

“There you go; it should be fine for the time being,” Aviva wiped the sweat from her forehead with her jacket.

 

Chris nodded; Aviva helped to clean the mess in his room, she took all of the medical kits, “Go ahead, and get dressed. I’ll leave now,” she left the room. Chris headed to his wardrobe, he wore his usual clothes, he thought he was able to rest, but he couldn’t. He felt something was bothering him, so he decided to read one of his books to pass time.

 

Hours had passed, in the evening, someone knocked on the door. It was Aviva, “Dinner’s ready.” Chris didn’t notice it was already dinner time, “I’m not hungry,” he looked back at his book. “Okay, I’m not going to force you this time,” Aviva replied. Chris hesitated, he wanted to ask something, before she left the room, she noticed, “What’s wrong, Chris?” He was able to let the question out from his mouth.

 

Chris avoided an eye contact with Aviva, “How’s Martin?”

Aviva leaned on the door, “I told Koki to check up on him earlier, she should be back soon.”

 

Koki showed up after Aviva replied to his question, “Aviva, Martin is still sleeping, but it should be fine since he’s breathing normally.”

Aviva nodded, “Thanks for checking him up, Koki.”

 

Aviva added, “You must be still traumatized after what happened in the afternoon, so I decided to let Martin rest in a vacant room. It might be a bad idea if he sleeps together with you for now since I can’t guarantee if the malfunction won’t happen again.”

Koki smiled, “Get well soon, and rest well, Chris.”

 

Aviva and Koki left the room, Chris felt a relief in his heart, knowing that his brother was safe, and sound. He continued to read his books, minutes had passed, he heard a clanking sound from the dishes being washed.

 

Someone knocked on the door again, but Chris already knew who was behind the door. It was Aviva, but this time, she brought something with her. She approached Chris, and put a green mug on the small table right beside him.

 

“I know you’re not hungry, but at least you need to drink something to replenish your energy. I made a chocolate milk for you, it's still hot, so be careful,” Aviva laughed softly. “Jimmy insisted on helping me to make it, I have to thank him later.”

 

She continued, “Perhaps it’s not my place to say that you shouldn’t worry about him, he’s your brother after all. Martin doesn’t possess a fatal injury, so I’m sure he’ll be conscious in the morning.”

 

Aviva sighed, she talked in a mellow voice, “I’m really glad that both of you are alive. When Martin attacked you, I didn’t know what to do. I tried to deactivate his Creature Power Suit, but it didn’t work because it was already deactivated. Rushing to the scene, and knocking him away with my scooter, or any hazardous equipment will make things worse.” Her eyes became watery, “Sorry, I’m supposed to be encouraging you, not the one that gets emotional. I’ll return to my room, and start fixing his Creature Power Suit, if you need my help; you know where to find me.”

 

Aviva turned her back, and approached the door. Chris called her name before she left the room, “Thank you very much, Aviva. I appreciate your concern,” he smiled. “You’re welcome,” Aviva smiled back at him.

 

Chris closed his book, and put it back on the shelf. He took the green mug from the table as he sat on his bed. Chris let out a small blow from his mouth to cool the drink, and drank it slowly. He placed the green mug back on the table when he had done, and turned off the lights in his room. Chris headed to the bed as he felt that he was finally able to go to sleep.

 

At midnight, where almost everyone was asleep, Aviva was busy in her room, she worked hard on fixing Martin’s Creature Power Suit. Although, she didn’t understand what caused it to malfunction, what she witnessed earlier was Martin in his human form, nothing abnormal. Aviva looked around the Creature Power Suit, she found a find that might be the cause of the malfunction.

 

Aviva looked thoroughly; a Tasmanian-Devil disc was stuck in the activator. It wouldn't surprise her if the malfunction happened after she created the disc, but that adventure happened a long time ago. Aviva scratched her head, “The disc must have affected Martin’s mind instead of changing his form into a Tasmanian-Devil, and attacked Chris.”

 

Aviva looked up, “That means Chris hit Martin’s head on purpose in attempt to make him unconscious, not to kill him.”

 

Even though Aviva was aware that it was impossible for Chris to kill his own brother, the sudden counterattack by him caught the other members off-guard. At least after the discovery she made, the doubt that lingered around had disappeared. Aviva jumped from her bed when someone knocked on the door, “Come in!” It was Koki, she laughed in relief, “You surprised me there for a moment. What’s up?”

 

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to surprise you. I made a tea for you,” Koki brought a purple mug, and gave it to Aviva. “You said that you’re going to fix the Creature Power Suit, so I thought I might as well as pay a visit to your room.”

 

Aviva took the purple mug from Koki, “Thank you, that’s so thoughtful of you.”

Koki sat beside Aviva, “How is it going?”

 

Aviva took a sip of the tea, “It’ll take time to fix it, but I have found the cause of the malfunction.”

“What caused it?” Koki asked.

 

“This,” Aviva showed the Tasmanian-Devil disc that was stuck on Martin’s Creature Power Suit, “instead of transforming Martin into a Tasmanian-Devil, it affected his mind. Chris wouldn’t put a suspicion on his brother if he was in his human form. That’s why it took him by surprise when Martin attacked him.”

 

Koki looked saddened, “That’s horrible.” Aviva nodded in agreement, Koki looked at the tools, “If only I can help you to fix it.” She shook her head, “It’s fine. You went through the trouble to brew a tea for me; it already helped me in a way.”

 

“Okay, if you say so. I should go back to my room. Good luck, and don’t forget to sleep,” Koki smiled. Aviva thanked her, she continued working as the night passed by.


	2. Rift of Separation

In the morning, Chris felt a bit better after he rested, he also felt an excitement in his heart, because of the fact that Martin was supposed to be awake now like Aviva said. He went out from his room, and he was right, Martin was standing, and talking to Jimmy and Koki, although his head was bandaged.

 

Chris greeted them, “Good morning!”

“Good morning, Chris!” Jimmy and Koki replied.

 

Weird, Martin didn’t greet Chris back. It was unusual; he always greeted his younger brother with a smile, or even with a hug, he stood still, looking at Jimmy and Koki. An awkward silence filled the room, “I’ll go back to my room. Talk to you later, both of you,” Martin left the other members, and went to the hallway.

 

Jimmy questioned Koki, “That’s not his room, right?”

“It’s his room, but the temporary one. I thought he was going back to Chris’ room,” Koki replied.

 

Chris looked down, disappointed. Jimmy and Koki, who noticed his reaction wanted to cheer him up, but they didn’t know what to say to him. Chris decided to break the ice, and changed the topic, “Where’s Aviva?”

 

Koki replied with a worried expression on her face, “She just went to sleep. It looks like she was too focused on fixing the Creature Power Suit.”

“I hope she doesn’t strain herself, she’s our leader after all. Thanks, by the way,” Chris head back to his room.

 

Jimmy tugged on Koki, and whispered, “Don’t you think it’s strange, Koki? Did something happen to the both of them?”

Koki nodded, “I know, but we shouldn’t bring that up in front of them. Didn’t you saw how disappointed, and shocked Chris was when Martin ignored him?”

 

Jimmy sat on the couch, “Should we talk about it to Aviva?”

“It’s too soon to jump to conclusions, Jimmy. Perhaps Martin’s still sleepy, so he decided not to engage in any activity yet,” Koki approached the seat near the computer, “Plus, his head is injured too.”

 

Several minutes had passed, Koki observed the situation around the Tortuga HQ, Jimmy was watching the television. Both of them weren’t aware of a figure that approached from behind, it got closer to Jimmy, and spoke in a low tone, “I want to go outside.”

 

Jimmy jumped from the couch, “D-Dude! You scared the heck out of me!”

Koki said in a half-annoyed tone, “Don’t scare us like that, Chris. You’re still injured.”

 

Chris apologized, he had no intention to scare Jimmy and Koki. He thought acting cheerful wouldn’t make the situation better either. Chris tried to reassure Koki, “I promise I’ll return before the evening, I only need to catch some fresh air.”

 

“I suppose it can’t be helped,” Koki looked down, and sighed. “All right, but make sure you don’t get into a trouble. Aviva is still sleeping, so I can’t provide any assistance aside from communicating to you through your Creature Pod.”

 

Chris thanked Koki, before he stepped out from the Tortuga HQ, Jimmy stopped him, “Chris, you forgot your Creature Power Suit!” He took a short glance to Jimmy, “I don’t need it,” he rushed out from the Tortuga HQ to avoid further questions.

 

Koki looked at Jimmy, “This is serious.”

 

Outside of the Tortuga HQ, Chris approached the Createrra VX; he noticed the bloodstains on the back side of the vehicle had dried up. The memory of the traumatic incident surged into his mind, he tried to reject the painful memory away from him. Chris avoided to use the vehicle, and ran to the other side of the savanna.

 

Chris wanted to climb a nearby tree, but alas, his injuries prevented him from doing so. Observed by Jimmy and Koki through the Tortuga HQ, he decided not to do any risky actions. Chris walked around the area, and sat on the ground, he took out his Creature Pod from his pocket; although there was nothing he could do about it because the screen was filled with heavy static.

 

Chris looked up the sky; it was bright, and clear, unlike his heart, after he was rejected by his own brother, the negative feelings choked him. His eyes became watery, tears started to drop to his cheeks. Chris immediately wiped off the tears with his hands, and continued walking.

 

At the Tortuga HQ, Jimmy and Koki who witnessed that moment sympathized with Chris. Both of them wanted to support him, but they didn’t know the root of the problem, and it was impolite to butt into another person’s problem.

 

Chris kept his promise, he returned before the sun sets. In front of the Tortuga HQ, Aviva was waiting for him. Chris took a deep breath, he braced himself for the worst possible outcome. Aviva noticed he had returned, she greeted him, “Welcome back, Chris.”

 

“Jimmy is cooking dinner for us, so come, and get inside,” Aviva continued.

 

Lost for words, Chris froze in place; he blinked at Aviva in confusion. He didn’t expect that response from her, but even so, he braced himself, and asked a question that might trigger an explosion from his friend, “You’re not mad at me, Aviva?”

 

Aviva glared at Chris, “I have a lot of reasons to be mad at you right now, but Jimmy and Koki already explained everything to me. I understand your feelings, and I believe it’s not the right time to be mad at you. Since you kept your promise with them, I’ll let it slide this time,” she went inside the Tortuga HQ after she ended her speech.

 

Chris was left speechless, but as soon as he realized the sentence, ‘Jimmy and Koki already explained everything to me’, he became flustered, that means both of them saw it when he was crying. He shook the embarrassment from him; he had to be grateful to his friends, because of them, Aviva was being considerate to him. Chris proceeded to enter the Tortuga HQ.

 

Inside the building, Koki greeted Chris, “Welcome back! If you’re hungry, go right ahead to the kitchen.” He thanked her, he headed to the kitchen immediately. At the kitchen, Jimmy was busy cooking side dishes, although he noticed Chris’ presence, and questioned him, “Welcome back, Chris. How are you feeling?”

 

Chris gazed into the distance, “I think I’m okay. Thanks for asking,” he sat in his usual spot.

“Jimmy! You can’t simply ask him that,” Koki interrupted from the hallway.

 

“Why can’t I? He went outside to catch some fresh air, and since he has returned, of course, I asked him how he was feeling,” Jimmy replied, but his eyes were still focused on the cooking.

Koki pouted slightly as she sat in front of Chris, “I definitely can’t argue with that!”

 

Chris let out a small laugh, slightly relieved from the pressure. “Excuse me,” Jimmy said while he put the main dishes on the table. Koki stood up, “Let me help you, Jimmy,” she took some of the side dishes from the kitchen. Chris heard several footsteps from the hallway, “Wow, you sure cooked a lot today, Jimmy,” Aviva said as she carried Martin on her shoulders.

 

“It smells good too,” Martin added.

“Thanks for the compliment. What’s wrong with Martin, Aviva? Why do you have to carry him?” Jimmy asked.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. When I told him that dinner was ready, he got up, and suddenly fell on the floor. I guess he lost his balance because of his injury, so I have to help by carrying him on my shoulders,” Aviva replied.

Martin apologized, “I’m sorry for troubling you, Aviva.”

 

Chris didn’t dare to look behind; he only stared at the table, and the foods in front of him.

 

Aviva smiled, “Don’t mention it, here; I’ll help you sit down,” she pulled a chair beside Chris.

Martin shouted, “No!”

 

Once again, an awkward silence filled the room. The others stared at him in disbelief, “I-I mean, I want to sit in front of you, Aviva,” Martin gave hesitated reply. Aviva pulled another chair, “All right, if you insist,” she helped him to take a seat.

 

Aviva, Chris, and Martin usually sat on the same row, while Jimmy and Koki sat together on another row, there was one additional chair used to put Jimmy’s joystick controller, but he had to put it beside Chris for now. Jimmy and Koki continued to put the dishes on the table, once they were done, all of them started to eat dinner.

 

The others felt a strong tension between Chris and Martin. Aware of the not conducive situation for the other members, Chris ate his dinner as fast as he could, put the dishes in the sink, and left the dining room.

 

The tension subsided; Martin didn’t budge from his position, the others felt sorry for Chris. Jimmy only told Aviva and Koki that he planned to cook a lot for Chris; he wanted to cheer him up. When they had finished eating, they collected, and put the dishes in the sink.

 

“Let me help with the dishes,” Martin stood up, but he suddenly lost his balance, and almost hit his head on the table.

Aviva approached Martin, “Be careful! That was a close one; I’ll carry you to your room, you have to take a rest.”

 

Jimmy cut through the conversation, “Wait, I’ll carry him to his room instead.”

Aviva nodded, “Thank you, Jimmy. Koki and I will wash the dishes then.”

 

Jimmy helped to carry Martin; they had to walk slowly since Martin couldn’t stand up straight. Jimmy laid him down on the bed when they had reached his room. Martin looked at him, he apologized in a low tone, “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry, we’re friends. If you need any help, you can call one of us from your room, or use your Creature Pod,” Jimmy gave a faint smile to Martin before he left the room.

 

“I feel messed up,” Martin thought to himself. He looked at the ceiling with a doubtful expression on his face, “It certainly looked like I’m the villain. Why everyone took his side?” A feeling of unhappiness arose from Martin’s heart, he closed his eyes, he could hear subtle voices outside of his room. Aviva and Koki were washing the dishes; Jimmy was playing with his video games, and a muffled cry.

 

Martin opened his eyes, and sat on his bed, “What, a cry?”

 

“Who could that be?” Martin wondered, but before he could think more about it, he felt a sharp pain in his head. He panted, he held his head with his hands, “That was horrible.” Martin couldn’t hear the cry anymore, “It must be my imagination,” he shrugged, and took off his jacket before he went to sleep.

 

Meanwhile, in Chris’ room, he was covering himself with a thick blanket. “It feels cold,” he murmured. Chris didn’t want to think of the reason why the room was cold, but it couldn’t be helped, he missed Martin. Martin was his source of heat when they were still together, he always stayed close to Chris, he wanted to make sure his younger brother felt comfortable enough.

 

Unable to held back the feelings, tears flowed to his cheeks, “Not again.” It took quite some time before he could stop the tears from flowing, which made him thrown a tantrum. Chris went to the kitchen to drink, and knocked on Aviva’s door.

 

“Come in,” Aviva spoke from her room.

Chris entered the room, “Aviva, do you have a spare blanket? I’m freezing.”

 

Aviva was busy typing on her laptop, “Yes, I have. I’ll get them as soon as I’m done.” A moment later, she closed the lid of her laptop, she was surprised when she looked at Chris’ face, “What happened?! Your eyes are swollen.”

 

Chris looked away from Aviva, “I-It’s nothing. Can I have the blanket, please?”

 

“Oh, right,” Aviva moved from her bed to her wardrobe, while she looked at the pile of clothes, she asked, “You’re already in your pajamas, but you’re still freezing?” Chris scratched his head, “M-Maybe it’s because of the air conditioner.” After she looked around her wardrobe, Aviva took some blankets with her, “Here, how many do you need?”

 

“One should be enough, thanks, Aviva,” Chris took one of the blankets from Aviva, and left the room.

 

Chris returned to his room, and put the spare blanket on the top of his blanket. He felt warmer thanks to the spare blanket, a lot of thoughts appeared in his mind, but he decided to sleep it off.

 

“Tomorrow may be better,” Chris whispered as he closed his eyes.


	3. Faint Light –Ending–

Five days had passed since the incident of Martin’s malfunction. “Tomorrow may be better,” Chris always said that to himself every time he went to sleep, but Martin had been treating his younger brother the same since then. As usual, he woke up in the morning; he went to the bathroom to wash his face, and brushed his teeth. Abandoned his routine to look at the mirror, he went out from his room, and approached the members of Tortuga HQ.

 

Aviva looked at Chris with a worried expression, “Chris, you look awfully pale! Have you eaten breakfast?”

 

Chris ignored her question, and said, “Martin’s in the kitchen, right?” Aviva nodded at him, “Yes, how did you know?” Chris made a weird gesture before he replied, “I could hear his loud munching voice from my room. I thought he was eating a pile of garbage.” Aviva lost in thought, “Loud munching voice? A pile of garbage?” She was sure that Martin was drinking a juice since she came back from the kitchen not too long ago before Chris came out from his room.

 

Aviva tried to pull something from him, “Then why don’t you eat together?” Chris giggled, “Not interested, hearing his name made me lost my appetite.” Aviva, Jimmy, and Koki stared at him perplexedly; the statement, and the giggle were completely random. Jimmy took a few steps back from where he was standing.

 

Chris walked to the entrance of Tortuga HQ, “Don’t worry about me, I already keep myself hydrated, I’ll be going out. I’ll probably return at night, so go ahead, and eat dinner without me.”

 

When Chris left the building, the others immediately gathered around Aviva, “Something is definitely wrong with Chris,” she said. Koki stated in a serious tone, “Have you all noticed that Chris kept going further, and further from Tortuga? At first, I thought he would keep wandering around here. If he keeps walking further away from us, we’ll be having a hard time monitoring him.”

 

Jimmy looked at the girls, “To be honest, he hasn’t eaten in the last two days. I already told him to eat something, but he kept drinking water. I didn’t expect him to ignore the slices of pizza yesterday too.”

Koki widened her eyes, “Are you serious? I thought he already ate them when I went to the kitchen at midnight!”

 

Jimmy shook his head, “No, he didn’t eat it. I was full at that time, and I didn’t want to throw it away, so I gave it to Martin instead.”

Aviva crossed her arms, “When I was talking to Chris, I noticed that the gaze from his eyes was empty. I thought it was because he just woke up, but it didn’t seem to be the case.”

 

Jimmy ran away from Aviva and Koki, he hid behind a pot, “Time out! Don’t tell me that he’s possessed.” Aviva sighed, “Of course not. He’s not possessed, but apparently, he has lost the meaning of life. He didn’t have the spirit, or the motivation in him anymore.”

 

During their conversations, Martin came from the hallway with a blue mug on his right hand, “What are you guys talking about? It sounds serious.” The other members exchanged looks, Jimmy and Koki returned to their seats, Aviva approached him, “Martin, why you didn’t stop Chris from going outside? His injuries won’t heal like that.”

 

“Why should I?” Martin drank from his mug.

Aviva looked at Martin in confusion, “What do you mean by, “Why should I?” He’s your younger brother, Martin!”

 

“Why should I?” Martin repeated, but he continued before Aviva rambled at him, “He tried to kill me. What am I supposed to do, feeling happy about it? All of you even took his side, it didn’t make sense,” he stared at the other members with an unhappy expression. The other members stared back at him; they didn’t expect him to say something like that about his younger brother. Martin squinted his eyes, and raised his shoulders, “What?”

 

Aviva put her hand on her forehead, “Martin, you jumped to conclusions too fast. So, this whole situation is caused by a misunderstanding?”

Martin denied the blame, “I’m not jumping to conclusions; I saw it with my own eyes!”

 

Martin subconsciously gave a hint to Aviva, she looked at him, “You saw it? Wait, we need to talk about it. I’m not going to argue with you, so let’s have a seat. We’ll listen to your story.” He agreed, both of them sat on the couch, the other members returned, they continued to observe Chris.

 

“I couldn’t remember that much, every time I tried to remember, I felt a sharp pain in my head. I believe it wasn’t long after our adventures ended, we were planning to return to Tortuga, and we transformed back into our human forms. My memory drew a blank after that point, it was a short period, but when I came back to my senses, I saw Chris drenched in blood, and he hit my head. I didn’t know how long I have fallen unconscious, in the morning, I was going to ask Jimmy and Koki about it, but Chris appeared, and…” Martin stopped.

 

Aviva tried to reassure Martin, “There’s no need to hesitate. We’re friends; we’re not going to laugh at you.” Jimmy and Koki looked at him, they nodded. When Martin had calmed down by a little, he continued his story.

 

“I… I was scared. I thought when there’s no one around, he’ll try to kill me again. I have been avoiding him since then, I can’t look him in the eyes. I only feel safe when he goes out from here,” Martin’s hands trembled.

 

Aviva finally understood the whole situation; she patted him on the shoulder, and said, “Thank you for telling your story, I understand now. Chris wasn’t trying to kill you; he was trying to save himself from you.” Martin looked bewildered, “Save himself from me?” Aviva took a deep breath, she told him what actually happened at that time, she kept track of her speech, and continued to deliver the main point to him. When she had finished, Martin felt really guilty.

 

“That means everything is my fault?” Martin looked down.

Aviva shook her head, “No, I’m not blaming you. Both of you have traumas, I understand why both of you are avoiding each other now. Although Chris looked depressed lately, I hope he’s all right.”

 

Martin was clueless, “What should I do? I think apologizing to him isn’t enough.”

“You have to explain everything to him. It might be hard, and awkward, but you’re his brother, I’m sure you can do it, Martin,” Aviva smiled.

 

Martin thanked Aviva, he considered her opinion. A moment later, Koki shouted from her seat, “Aviva, look!” Aviva turned to Koki’s direction, “What is it?” Surprised, she got up, and commanded Koki to contact Chris as soon as possible. Koki panicked, “I can’t get through his Creature Pod! I keep hearing static from his side.” Aviva fumed, “Darn it! Why at times like this, he’s too far for me to catch up.”

 

Chris wasn’t aware of the danger that had followed him from the shadows. When he heard a mechanical sound, and looked behind, it was too late. A pincer extended, and pushed Chris against a tree in a matter of seconds, he could feel the blood splattered out from his wounds because of the sudden impact. He groaned, when he looked up, three silhouettes approached him from the distance. The dust storm at the savanna disappeared, revealing the silhouettes. It was Zach, with his Zachbots.

 

Zach clapped his hands in amusement, “The world’s greatest inventor has successfully captured one of the Wild Rats.”

“What do you want?” Chris grunted.

 

Zach gave a sly smile, “Isn’t that obvious? I’m going to get rid of you.” With Zachbot’s pincer locked around Chris, he couldn’t move. “Oh, don’t worry. I already make sure that Zachbot will keep you from running away. Now, I have to think of a way to get rid of you, Green Guy,” Zach laughed.

 

Chris’ mind was filled with anger, and sadness, he shouted at Zach, “If you want to get rid of me that badly, go ahead, and kill me right now, so I can end my sufferings!” Zach stared at him in disgust, he noticed blood started dripping from Chris’ arms.

 

“Zachbot, I told you not to stab him!” Zach shouted, he slapped one of the Zachbots’ head.

 

Zachbot shook its head, but Zach told it to release its pincer. It heeded his command, and released the pincer right away. With nothing held him on the tree, Chris fell, and hit his face first on the ground. “Not like that,” Zach complained.

 

Chris didn’t feel his arms anymore, he felt numb after the impact. He whimpered, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Martin. I promise I’ll be a good brother, and I’ll do anything for you, as long as you don’t leave me alone, please,” he muttered the same sentence again, and again.

 

Chris couldn’t cry, he already cried too much, his expression was blank instead. He stopped panting, and started breathing heavily. Martin witnessed the heartbreaking moment, he was lost for words, he didn’t know he pressured his younger brother that much because of his actions.

 

“Hold on, he mentioned Blue Boy,” Zach pointed at one of his Zachbots, “Search around the area! They might be plotting something against me.” Zachbot left, and looked around the area, while the other one stood close with Zach, protecting him. He mumbled, “It’s useless. If I capture him, Toodles can do anything to him as he pleases, but I’m sure he’ll complain because Green Guy won’t resist, and will do anything in his condition.”

 

One of the Zachbots returned, it shook its head, indicating that Martin wasn’t in the area. He crossed his arms, “I don’t believe you, but it’s better than wasting my time here,” he walked around Chris, who was still on the ground. Zach kicked him on the left side of his stomach; he also stomped on his back, perhaps too hard. Chris coughed out blood, and cried in pain.

 

Zach and Zachbots left him behind. Half of Chris’ body was in tremendous amount of pain; it took several tries when he tried to use his legs to stand up before he succeeded. He felt his Creature Pod vibrated in his pocket; he could hear Aviva’s voice, although the static noise was louder, “Chris, return to the Tortuga immediately!”

 

Chris smiled wryly, “I’m planning to, I’m too exhausted to keep on going anyway.”

 

Chris walked in a crippled manner; every step he made was too painful for him. On his way to Tortuga HQ, his vision started to blur, but before he completely lost his consciousness, he whispered, “Perhaps this is the end for me.”

 

Koki shouted, “Aviva, he fainted!” When she looked behind, Aviva was nowhere to be found. Koki heard a loud commotion outside of the Tortuga HQ; she checked through the computer. Aviva was rushing to the scene to rescue Chris with her scooter, worried, Koki reminded her through her Creature Pod, “Be careful! You’re too fast!”

 

Aviva responded, “It’ll be too late if the wild animals have taken him!” She murmured, “Come on, Chris. You can’t die like this.”

 

Aviva reached Chris’ location; she stopped her scooter beside him. She carried him on the scooter, then she drove back at slower speed to Tortuga HQ. When Aviva had arrived, Jimmy and Koki went out, and brought Chris inside.

 

In Chris’ current condition, Aviva couldn’t treat his injuries properly. She asked Jimmy to take off Chris’ jacket, and shirt while she went into her room to take a pile of medical kits, and some towels. When Aviva returned, she wondered why everyone’s expression looked bitter; Jimmy was hiding behind the pot again.

 

Chris’ bandages were soaked in his blood, not a single spot of it was dry. Aviva also noticed a black bruise on the left side of his stomach, “Zach went too far this time,” she said angrily. Martin was standing beside the computer, he cast his eyes away from his younger brother. Aviva wiped the blood from Chris’ body, and attempted to stop the wounds from bleeding. Jimmy helped her to carry Chris into his room when she had finished treating his injuries.

 

Hours had passed, Chris finally opened his eyes, he stared at the ceiling, deep in thoughts, “I’m still alive,” he looked around; there was no one in his room. He tried to move, but it was still painful for him to do so, although the pressure in his mind had decreased when he shouted at Zach.

 

Chris got up, and decided to take a shower. He wasn’t supposed to take one when he just woke up from sleep, but he wanted to wash the stress away as soon as possible. Chris wiped his body with a towel, forced himself to wear his clothes, and went outside from his room.

 

Everyone was waiting for Chris when he came from the hallway, they had delightful reactions to saw that he was awake. They had been checking on him regularly when he was unconscious; they were worried because he had lost a lot amount of blood. The members gathered around Chris, he took a quick glance around the room, he saw Martin was watching a cartoon on the television, “Not that I care anymore about him,” he sighed.

 

“Chris, have you taken a shower?” Aviva asked.

Chris nodded, “Yes. What’s wrong?”

 

“Good, I’m going to take care of your wounds again. Go sit on the couch; take off your jacket, and shirt,” Aviva approached the medical kits near the computer, “I need to put these on the table. If you need help, you can ask Jimmy to take those off from you.”

“Why it has to be me again?” Jimmy questioned Aviva.

 

Aviva put the medical kits on the table, “Of course I can’t ask Koki to take his clothes off, right?”

 

Chris hesitated at first because of Martin’s presence, but he later agreed to sit on the couch. He unzipped his jacket, he let Jimmy pulled it off from him. Chris struggled when he was trying to take his shirt off; he forced himself when he was wearing one, and now his injuries throbbed. Jimmy helped him slowly; he managed to take his shirt off, he thanked Jimmy, but he avoided Chris because he was afraid of the wounds. He realized the reason why Jimmy questioned Aviva earlier.

 

Aviva took a chair, and sat in front of Chris, she started by rubbing antiseptic on his face. As soon as she finished, she put band aids on the wounds. Chris always jolted when Aviva treated the wounds on his body, even though she already did it several times before. She wrapped the bandages on his right shoulder to his chest, and his left arm, only the bruises left untreated.

 

Aviva checked the boxes of medical kits, she gave a bottle of oil to Chris, “Rub this oil on your bruise, and your back. It should ease the pain.”

Chris took the bottle from Aviva, “All right.”

 

Chris went into the kitchen; he washed his hands as soon as he had finished applying the oil. Jimmy was waiting outside; he helped Chris to get dressed. He thanked Jimmy, and apologized for scaring him with his wounds. “No worries. I should get used to it soon since I’m sure Aviva will always ask me to help you for the time being,” Jimmy chuckled.

 

When both of them returned from the kitchen, Koki was observing the weather outside; she looked at the other members, “It’s going to rain soon.” Aviva approached the entrance, “Okay, I’ll get the Createrra VX into the garage.”

 

Chris raised his left hand, “I’ll do it.”

Aviva stared at Chris, “No, your injuries won’t heal if you don’t take a rest.”

 

Chris felt slightly disappointed, “Okay,” he replied. Aviva was right, if he didn’t rest, he might end up making his injuries even worse than before. Jimmy looked at the clock, “Oh, it’s near dinner time. I’ll go to the kitchen, and cook for us.” Chris looked at him, “But I’m not…” Jimmy interrupted him before he could finish his sentence, “You have to eat this time, Chris,” he said, and went to the hallway.

 

Chris followed Jimmy to the kitchen; he waited for him to finish cooking. He actually wanted to watch the television, but Martin was using it, so he chose to avoid his brother. Jimmy took a glance at the fridge, “Oh, I almost forgot. Chris, can you go to the fridge, and take a plate with a lid on it?”

 

“Sure,” Chris opened the fridge, and took the plate, “Here you go,” he stood beside Jimmy. “Go on, and eat it,” Jimmy replied. Chris looked confused, “It’s not for your cooking?” Jimmy shook his head, “No, Aviva and Koki prepared it for you. I’m supposed to tell you earlier, but I forgot, sorry.” Curious, Chris opened the lid of the plate; he saw a lot of sliced fruits.

 

“All of these are for me? What about you guys?” Chris felt happy, and concerned at the same time.

Jimmy continued cooking, “Don’t worry, all of us already ate our portions, only you left. It’ll take a while before I finished cooking, so you should fill your stomach first with those fruits.”

 

Chris thanked him, he returned to his seat, and ate the fruits while he waited for Jimmy. The other members gathered in the kitchen after Jimmy notified them that dinner was ready. They ate dinner together, and surprisingly, they didn’t feel the tension between the brothers today, although mixed feelings still lingered around Chris. When the others had finished eating dinner, one of them asked him if there was anything he wanted to do later. Chris shrugged, “Sorry, I think I’ll go to sleep early today. A lot of things have happened, I doubt if I can keep it up anymore,” as he turned around to the hallway, he felt someone was staring at him; he discarded the feeling, and ran into his room.

 

An hour had passed; it started raining thirty minutes ago, but Chris couldn’t sleep. He tried to roll to his left side, “My stomach, and my back still hurts,” he mumbled, it bothered him; he thought he paid the price for being careless earlier. Chris pulled his blankets closer to him; he started to feel cold again. He heard someone opened the door into his room, “It’s probably Aviva,” he thought to himself, the person approached him, and lay beside him. Chris froze in his position, a different thought appeared, “Did Jimmy sleepwalked?”

 

It startled Chris when the person wrapped its right arm around him, not even Jimmy would do that. Only one person came to his mind, he whispered, “Martin, is that you?” No response, “What do you want? Leave me alone, I’m trying to sleep. Go back to your room,” Chris tried to brush Martin off from him. Martin suddenly tightened his wrap around Chris, it made him scared, and yelled.

 

“Martin! I swear if you’re still affected by the malfunction, I’ll hit-…” Chris stopped, he groaned in pain.

 

Chris injured himself from the struggle, his body became numb again. He trembled, the sheer terror on his face couldn’t be described, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Even if you die, you’ll die in your brother’s hands. It’s fine,” the negative thought became stronger, and stronger.

 

Chris trembled uncontrollably as his fear overwhelmed him. A gentle voice came out from Martin’s mouth; it shattered the negative thought, and the overwhelming fear. “I’m sorry, Chris,” Martin sincerely apologized; he released his arm from his younger brother.

 

Chris was half scared, but he heard his brother’s words, “Huh?”

 

Aviva heard the commotion, she went out from her room immediately; she approached Chris’ room, when she held on the doorknob, she overheard Martin talking to Chris. The alarmed members also came out from their rooms, they approached her. Aviva released her hand from the doorknob; she gave a sign to be quiet, and told the others it was a false alarm from Chris. Jimmy and Koki nodded, they returned to their rooms.

 

Martin sat on the bed; he didn’t look at Chris, but he apologized again before he started talking, “Aviva has told me everything to me when you went outside earlier. I’m sorry, because of me; you’re injured, and you have to go through a depression. I’m not being a good brother when you needed me the most. I was scared; I thought you were trying to kill me at that time, it was a misunderstanding.” Chris didn’t budge, Martin got up from the bed, he put his hand on his chest, “I… I’m glad that you’re still alive, Chris. I don’t know what to do if you’re gone, I’m sorry for what I have done to you.”

 

Martin walked around to Chris’ position; he crouched beside him, he looked directly into Chris’ eyes, “That’s all I wanted to say to you. You must be still afraid of me until now, so I’ll return to the other room until you’re feeling better. I’ll be fine, as long as my brother feels comfortable,” Martin smiled to his younger brother in attempt to calm him down, “Sleep well, and get well soon, Chris.”

 

Before Martin left the room, he turned his back to look at his younger brother one more time, but at the same time, Chris suddenly hugged him, he started crying, “Stupid brother, you didn’t know how worried I was! I thought I might accidentally kill you when I tried to defend myself. I was happy when I saw you were awake in the morning, but you ignored me like I never existed in your life!”

 

Chris sobbed louder, “It hurts, it hurts so much. I have been going out to run away from my depression, but I can’t. I have been acting like I didn’t care about you, but I can’t. I-I missed you; this room is not the same without your warmth, and your presence.”

 

Martin heard all of it, he felt happy that his younger brother finally could speak his feelings out; he thought Chris must have been keeping this all to himself. Martin hugged him back, “It’s all right, your brother is here for you. You don’t have to feel sad anymore,” he patted Chris’ head.

 

Chris released his hug from his brother; Martin looked at him, he wiped the tears off from Chris’ face with his hands. “That means I can sleep here?” Martin asked, but he also imitated the puppy-dog-eyes. Chris looked at him awkwardly, “Sure, if you want to.” Martin got too excited; he hugged his younger brother, “Thanks!” Chris resisted the pain, “Ouch! You’re hugging my wounds, Martin.”

 

Martin released his hug in an instance, “Sorry!”

 

Martin held his chin with his hand, “Hmm, I have to bring all of my stuff from the other room, and I have to change my clothes too.” Chris tilted his head, “What about the clothes?” Martin took several steps away from Chris, which made him even more confused; he approached the door, “Because you cried on my shirt!” Martin laughed, he ran away from their room as quickly as possible. Embarrassed, Chris yelled at his brother, “S-Shut up!”

 

When Martin had moved all of his stuff from the other room, Chris already lay down on the right side of their bed. He closed the door; he took off his shoes, and socks, he put them near the door. Martin tucked into the blanket, he looked at Chris, and noticed that his younger brother was shivering, he moved closer to him. Chris couldn’t roll his body because of his injuries; he looked at Martin instead, and smiled, “Thanks, Martin. Good night.”

 

Martin kissed Chris on the forehead, “Good night, my dear brother.”


	4. New Days –Bonus Chapter–

In the morning, Chris woke up because he felt someone was staring at him, he looked beside him. Martin was watching him sleeping, he greeted, “Good morning! How are you feeling?” Chris rubbed his eyes as he sat on the bed, “I’m fine, I guess. Why are you awake so early, Martin?” Martin begged, “I want to go out with you today, pretty please?”

 

“Your head is still injured. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you outside,” Chris scratched his head, feeling sleepy.

Martin hugged his pillow, “I’ll be fine as long as I’m with you, I promise.”

 

“There’s nothing that can stop you, right?” Chris sighed, despite the sigh, he actually felt happy when his brother said that to him. Martin rolled around to his side, “First, we need to eat breakfast, and take a shower together.” Chris yawned, “Yeah, but can I sleep for several more minutes? I’m still-…” he paused; he realized something was odd, he stuttered, “N-No! We’re not taking a shower together. Y-You’re taking an advantage of my drowsiness, aren’t you?!”

 

Martin smirked, “Maybe?”

“This is our first day being together again, and you already act naughty. I can’t believe you, Martin,” Chris rolled his blanket, and tossed it to Martin’s face.

 

Martin dodged the blanket, he laughed, “But it’s the only way to get your spirit up again in the morning, Chris.”

“It’s not,” Chris pouted.

 

Small, and silly arguments sparked which made Chris didn’t feel sleepy anymore. He later agreed with Martin’s suggestion to do their morning routines, when they were done, they went into the hallway, and greeted the other members at the same time, “Good morning!” The other members smiled, they greeted the brothers back.

 

Aviva grabbed a clipboard from the table, “Both of you are up early today, look at those cheerful expressions. I definitely haven’t seen that for a while.”

 

Both Chris and Martin laughed awkwardly at her statement. Aviva was focused at the clipboard on her arm, “I was worried earlier when I couldn’t find Martin in his room. I thought he went somewhere on his own, we had to look around the Tortuga. It didn’t cross our minds to check on Chris’ room because both of you were avoiding each other.” The brothers thought she was going to say something serious, so they fell silent.

 

Aviva continued, “We gave up looking for Martin, there was no trace of him outside. I decided to check in Chris’ room, and when I did, both of you were cuddling! It was so cute, I couldn’t help, but giggled,” she burst into laughter. Jimmy and Koki were busy with their tasks, but since they also knew about it, they laughed at the brothers too.

 

The direct statement from Aviva made Martin blush, but Chris’ face was red as a tomato. She took a deep breath, and exhaled, “I’m sorry. We’re just glad because both of you are together again.” Chris and Martin nodded; they knew that their problems indirectly pressured the other members too. Aviva looked at the brothers from the top to bottom, “Oh, both of you are properly dressed today. Going out?”

 

Chris scratched his head, “Yeah, Martin insisted. If that’s fine with you.”

 

“Then I have to change your bandages first, Chris,” Aviva replied. “No, Martin already helped me on that. Even though you still did it better than him, he almost suffocated me with those bandages,” Chris joked. “Hey! It’s not like you did it better than me!” Martin pointed at the messily wrapped bandages around his head, he laughed.

 

“All right, but this time both of you have to bring your Creature Power Suits, no exception. I already fixed them, but I took the Tasmanian-Devil discs away, just in case,” Aviva grabbed both Chris and Martin’s Creature Power Suits from her seat. “Avoid carnivore animals for the time being. I don’t really have to worry since both of you can transform, and protect yourselves later, but there’s no need for an unnecessary danger, right?” She pointed at the brothers, “One more thing, and both of you have to promise me.”

 

Martin embraced Chris, “What is it?”

“Don’t strain yourselves. Return here immediately if one, or both of you are exhausted,” Aviva stared at Martin and Chris.

 

Martin gave a thumb up to her, “Roger.” Aviva nodded at him, she looked for something inside the drawers; the brothers were waiting for her, wondered what she was doing. “I found it,” she turned around; she gave something to Chris, “Sometimes you need to be more honest. Your Creature Pod broke, and you didn’t tell us until now. I found out about it when you were unconscious, no wonder Koki couldn’t alert you of the danger yesterday. I’m giving you a new one, take a good care of it, all right?”

 

Chris thanked Aviva; he took the new Creature Pod from her. Martin already wore his Creature Power Suit when both of them were talking, he helped his younger brother to wear one. When both of them were prepared, Aviva nodded at them.

 

“Ready, Chris?” Martin made a gesture for a fist bump. Chris nodded, he gave a fist bump to his brother, “Ready!” They approached the entrance, and cheered simultaneously, “Let’s go creature adventuring!”

 

Connection

– The End –

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 《 Credits 》  
> Thank you for reading Connection until the end. I hope you like it, and continue to support me.
> 
> This is my first time writing Hurt/Comfort, or Angst genres. I hope I didn't go too far.
> 
> 《 Disclaimer 》  
> I do not own the characters in the story. They belong to their respective owners, and themselves.
> 
> 《 References 》  
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Kratts
> 
> http://wildkratts.wikia.com/
> 
> 《 Changelog 》  
> 18/12/2016 - Alternate ending, "Tainted by Darkness" removed from the story.  
> 20/12/2016 - Version 1.0 released.  
> 17/02/2017 - Version 2.0 released.  
> 15/03/2017 - Version 2.5 released.


End file.
